LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers of 2025 have always been in a favorable position due to the luxury of ample time. When their group of starting pitchers encountered periods of instability earlier in the year, they simply required sufficient time to regain full health. When their relief pitching unit demonstrated frustrating levels of inconsistency, they merely needed time to resolve the issues. When their offensive output faltered as they entered the postseason, they just needed the time to establish momentum.
However, currently finding themselves trailing the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 3-2 in the World Series after experiencing a 6-1 defeat on Wednesday during Game 5, and staring down the possibility of elimination in Toronto come Friday during Game 6, the Dodgers have exhausted their supply of time.
“They’ve simply executed better baseball over the course of these past couple of days,” stated first baseman Freddie Freeman in regard to the Blue Jays, following his team’s consecutive defeat. “It’s straightforward: They outperformed us in today’s game.”
The Dodgers presented a listless display during their Game 4 defeat, as Toronto demonstrably possessed all of the impetus. And starting from the initial pitch of Game 5, the Blue Jays conveyed that they had not relinquished it. Blake Snell was required to perform at his absolute peak in order for the Dodgers to prevent their season from being pushed to the edge. Instead, he was met with an onslaught.
Toronto’s leadoff hitter, Davis Schneider, capitalized on Snell’s opening pitch of the game, sending it into the Dodgers’ bullpen to create a rapid 1-0 deficit. Just two pitches following, the Blue Jays’ star player, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., replicated the feat, launching his second undeniable home run in as many days.
Snell had conceded three home runs throughout the entire 2025 regular season. However, just three pitches into Game 5, he had already surrendered two. Dodger Stadium was in a state of shock, and in actuality, so were the Dodgers.
Throughout their journey to the World Series, the most significant strength of L.A. has been their starting rotation. However, during this Fall Classic, for the first time in several months, the Dodgers’ starting pitching (with the exception of Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s outstanding performance in Game 2) has been far from flawless. Combine this with an offense that is encountering considerable difficulties in producing runs, and the Dodgers abruptly discover themselves with a formula that is not yielding favorable results.
Similar to Shohei Ohtani in Game 4, Snell’s performance in Game 5 was not notably poor. His final statistics — 6 ⅔ innings, 6 hits, 5 runs, 4 walks, and 7 strikeouts — appear more unfavorable than his actual performance. However, incorporating inconsistent defensive play, such as Teoscar Hernández’s mistake in the fourth inning that transformed a triple into a run, along with walks that lead to runs, as demonstrated by 9-hole hitter Andres Gimenez in the seventh inning, illustrates how a game — and a series — can gradually slip away.
With another loss for L.A. recorded, the narrative of Game 5, and frankly, a substantial portion of this postseason, has centered around the Dodgers’ offense experiencing a significant downturn. Manager Dave Roberts seemed to acknowledge this notion when, seeking a catalyst, he adjusted his lineup prior to Game 5. However, against the dominant Blue Jays rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage, it proved inconsequential.
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On Wednesday, Yesavage presented a vastly different appearance compared to his showing in Game 1 at Rogers Centre. He disrupted L.A.’s balance from the outset, achieving 12 strikeouts and exploiting the Dodgers’ inability to construct coherent innings. And once the 22-year-old established a rhythm, it became exceedingly difficult to impede his progress.
“We have to strike the ball. We have to strike the ball,” stated third baseman Max Muncy, who finished 0-for-3 in Game 5, subsequent to the game. “Observing their performance, they are placing the ball into play frequently, and it’s discovering advantageous locations. We are not placing the ball into play with sufficient frequency, and when we do, it appears to be directed towards the glove, thus we must discover a method to place the ball into play more consistently.”
Pitching while possessing an immediate advantage due to the leadoff home runs, the young rookie exhibited the composure of a seasoned veteran, retiring the Dodgers in order in four of his seven innings. He concluded the game having conceded only one run on three hits while amassing 12 strikeouts and recording 23 swing-and-misses. It marked the highest number of swings and misses generated by a starting pitcher against the Dodgers throughout this series.
“It was a complete reversal from Game 1,” stated Freeman in reference to Yesavage. “His command was precise this evening. We were contending within that lane, and he was still managing to locate his slider and splitter down in the zone for strikes.”
Reflecting on the Dodgers’ struggles against Toronto’s pitchers, Freeman offered the following observation: “Baseball is a demanding game. It has presented challenges for us during these past two days.”
A factor significantly amplifying the difficulties encountered by the Dodgers on offense is the subpar production originating from star shortstop Mookie Betts. Betts is batting a mere .234 throughout this postseason, without registering a single home run. And his performance has deteriorated further during the World Series, where he has managed only 3 hits in 23 at-bats (.130).
With other typically dependable batters such as Max Muncy (.188 average this postseason), Tommy Edman (.232), and Freddie Freeman (.237) also underperforming, the disconcerting pattern exhibited by the Dodgers’ offense has engendered an excessive reliance on Ohtani to spearhead their efforts. This is somewhat unexpected, considering that prior to his exceptional performance in Game 4 of the NLCS, the three-time MVP was experiencing offensive struggles of his own.
However, at this juncture, the undeniable truth is that when the premier player in the world does not exhibit extraordinary capabilities, the Dodgers encounter difficulties in scoring runs. Throughout this postseason, L.A. is averaging 6.3 runs in games in which Ohtani hits a home run. In games where he does not, including Game 5, they are averaging 3.5 runs. This represents a stark contrast to the manner in which Toronto’s offense has been wearing down the Dodgers’ rotation and bullpen, an area that represented L.A.’s primary concern entering the World Series.
“It’s not a pleasant sensation. It’s evident that those players are identifying methods to secure hits, advance the baseball, and we are not executing effectively in that regard,” Roberts stated postgame in reference to the two offenses. “I believed Yesavage demonstrated proficiency this evening, effectively mixing his fastball, slider, and split-finger fastball.
“It remains imperative to utilize the entirety of the field and capitalize on the opportunities presented, and if they are not conducive to power hitting, then it becomes necessary to redirect efforts and adopt competitive at-bats. … It’s apparent that those players are succeeding in that aspect.”
Trailing 3-2 as they return to Toronto for Game 6 and — optimistically — Game 7, the Dodgers have officially entered a perilous situation. And despite the wealth of postseason experience present on this roster, they have not confronted elimination since the 2024 NLDS against the Padres.
Following their defeat on Wednesday, several players within the Dodgers’ clubhouse drew comparisons to that series as a parallel experience, one in which they managed to rectify their course just in the nick of time. They will need to channel that resolve starting on Friday as they endeavor to avert elimination and compel a Game 7. However, this time around, they will not possess the backing of the Dodger Stadium crowd, as they did last year against San Diego.
This time, they will need to secure two victories within a hostile environment, in the presence of a Rogers Centre crowd eager to witness its team capture a World Series title for the first time in 32 years.
“Each individual must draw upon their own experiences,” Betts stated. “There’s nothing particularly profound to articulate. We must discover a means to prevail. There exists no magical formula.”
The formula may not be magical, but the Dodgers do need to unearth a catalyst if they aspire to realize their ambition of repeating as World Series champions. Because the reality is that one team in this series currently resembles a champion, and it’s not the one that most recently raised the trophy.
The Dodgers can no longer depend on the passage of time to enable them to revert to being the team they aspire to be. They have exhausted their margin for error, and should they delay any further in performing at their optimal level, it will be time to return home.
